Montessori or Traditional Kindergarten
A PARENT’S DECISION FOR THE FIVE YEAR-OLD by Aline D. Wolf
If you are the parent of a four year-old presently in a Montessori class, you are probably delighted with your child’s progress and are looking forward to her continuation of Montessori next year when she is five. Most parents who choose Montessori for their pre-schooler not only want her to complete this cycle of pre-school learning but they want her to continue Montessori at the elementary level if it is available. It is possible, however, that you are one of the smaller number of parents who look upon Montessori as a preparation for traditional kindergarten. A Montessori school, these parents feel, is a place where a very young child can be taken care of until he is old enough for conventional school. Each year some parents withdraw their five year-olds from Montessori just as they are beginning to unfold as young leaders, beginning readers and budding mathematicians. When the transfer is made at this point the children actually miss the most fruitful part of the Montessori experience. There is no doubt that some circumstances almost force parents to withdraw their five year-olds from Montessori schools. A sudden financial crisis, impossible transportation arrangements, a personality conflict with an individual Montessori teacher or a child’s special problem which might be helped by a more structured environment, all indicate that a change should be made. When compelling reasons, similar to these, do not exist, you have the freedom to observe both programs carefully and try to evaluate the influence which each might have on your child. You should not hesitate to ask to observe in either the traditional or the Montessori school. The exercise of this legitimate right of parents is the only way you can get the first-hand information necessary for making a wise decision. It will be helpful to begin by observing your own four year-old in the Montessori classroom during the spring months. Is he comfortable and happy? How does he interact with other children? Does he choose his own activities? How long can he concentrate? What math exercises can he do? What reading or language activities has he begun? Next you should visit the kindergarten that you are considering for your child. Do the children enjoy learning? How long do they concentrate? What math and reading exercises are available as the next step to what your child is doing now? What art, music and nature activities are in the class? Are there opportunities for independent work and for leadership? The next step in this sequence is to re-visit the Montessori school. This time, rather than watching your own child, look at the classroom as a whole and particularly at what the five year-olds are doing. How do they compare with the five year-olds in the conventional school? What are they doing in math and reading? Are they leaders? Are they self-confident? Is the classroom a happy place for learning? What music, nature and creative activities are in progress? After this series of observations you should give careful thought to the long-range as well as the immediate advantages of one program over another. The “right now” benefits of choosing a traditional program, such as the relief from tuition and transportation responsibilities, are often very obvious to parents. The long-range benefits of another year of Montessori are sometimes more subtle and difficult to recognize. Unwittingly some parents give up substantial long-term benefits for motives that are not always educationally sound. An analysis of these reasons may be helpful to you. “We feel that the best learning happens when the younger children can watch older children. Debbie really benefited from her past two years in Montessori. But next year, she won’t have any older ones to learn from. She’s apt to pick up baby habits again.” Imitating older children is only one aspect of learning in a mixed age group. The book, Children Teach Children by Garnter, Kohler and Riessman (Harper and Row) gives many statistics which show that when an older child helps a younger child, it is actually the older child who benefits most from the experience. Because the teacher in a Montessori classroom is not constantly directing group activities, there are many opportunities for the five year-olds to help the younger ones. Besides reinforcing their academic knowledge, this experience enhances their self-esteem and develops their self-confidence–two qualities which enable them to try new things in later learning. To deprive the five year-old of this experience is to deprive her of her year of leadership. When she was younger, she was unconsciously looking forward to the time when she would be one of “the older ones.” If, instead, she is put into a kindergarten where she is again at the bottom of the ladder, this cycle of maturing is interrupted. Perhaps the loss is most unfortunate for the “only child” or for a child who is the youngest in the family because such a child does not have the opportunity to lead younger children at home.
At our neighborhood school all the kids meet their friends in kindergarten. If I wait until first grade to put Jonathan in this school, he’s going to have a hard time getting in with the group.” The problem of adapting to a new group is one that parents worry about more than the children do. It is not unusual to find parents questioning the teacher about this situation weeks after the child and his classmates have forgotten that he is new. Addressing himself specifically to this problem, Joseph S. Silverman, M.D., a psychiatrist interested in young children wrote, “Confronting an already formed peer group in elementary school is of course a challenge for any child. The transition from a Montessori kindergarten to a traditional school first grade, however, is handled with ease by most children. That they do so suggests to me that the challenge to their coping capacities is actually fortuitous. For, after all, we find in most situations that to protect a child from a challenge he can meet is to retard his maturation.” “Harry did beautifully in Montessori for two years, but I think he’s had enough of it now. We can save the tuition money for his college education.” This is a natural inclination even when there is no serious financial problem. Where, however, will the money be better invested? Will his education be guaranteed more by the fact the he becomes interested and excited about learning or by the fact that you have money in the bank? If he becomes bored, he may decide against further education long before the college years. Since many scholarships are available to good students, perhaps an interest in learning is the best guarantee of a college education. “All her friends are going to our neighborhood school. Susan wants to go with them. She says she doesn’t like her old school any more.” When a child tells you she dislikes school you should try to determine her motivation for saying so. Either she is really unhappy in her present classroom or she is saying this because she wants you to let her do something else. Observing her in the classroom (if possible, without letting her know) is your best way to judge. If she seems totally restless, bored, withdrawn, angry or disruptive, you must seriously consider what she is telling you. But if she seems comfortable, busy and absorbed most of the time, with just the normal amount of mischief and daydreaming, then you can assume she is happy. Saying she wants to go with other kids is a normal and frequent reaction of youngsters whose friends are discussing their approaching entrance into kindergarten. For many of them it will be their first school experience and their excitement naturally affects your child. If you and your spouse react as individuals who are confident in your own judgment, you will not panic at this childhood remark. Instead you will convey to your child your own enthusiasm for all the things she is doing in her school. “I think Montessori was fine for Tim when he was younger, but he knows most of the things in the Montessori classroom by now. I think he’s tired of it and he needs a fresh start in kindergarten.” It is almost impossible to imagine a four year-old finishing and tiring of the academic materials. The Golden Beads which illustrate the Decimal System could, for example, be used for such difficult maneuvers as square root and long division. In reading, as in math, because the necessary materials are at hand, a youngster can go as far as his interest and ability will take him. For example, in a Montessori classroom a five-year old can gain an early understanding of many difficult concepts which are the usual stumbling blocks in grade school. Long before he is faced with such abstract terms as Peninsula, History, Verb, Unit or Fraction, he meets them in simple concrete materials which are fun to manipulate. He can build a peninsula, put pictures on a Time Line of history, act out verbs, “carry one” in addition by going to the Bank and changing ten Units into one Ten Bar, put two fractional quarters together to make one-half, etc. The opportunity to learn to read at his own pace is perhaps the most important advantage for the five year-old in the Montessori classroom. He receives individual help as he works with the reading materials and is neither pressured to keep up with other youngsters, nor bored by having to wait for others to catch up with him. As he masters the phonetic skills, the Reading Corner invites him to spend comfortable hours with books he selects himself, thus fostering his desire to read. Many children begin reading and math at four but the most exciting work is done when they are five. If you transfer your child before this year of fruition, you will probably lose the best return on your financial investment in pre-school education. When selecting a school for your child the important thing to remember is that you and your spouse, as parents, are the only people who should make this decision. You should not feel pressured by remarks from neighbors, from in-laws or particularly from your own child. You, his parents, best understand his needs. You have the maturity to judge the available programs. You have the wisdom to choose the school that offers the best opportunities for your five year-old.
©Aline D. Wolf 1992 PARENT CHILD PRESS P.O. Box 675 Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania 16648-0675
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
Benefits of Montessori
Benefits Of Montessori
Some of the many reasons why Montessori is right for your child.
Everybody knows that Montessori is a great way to educate children, but not everyone understands the benefits in detail. Here are some of the many reasons why Montessori is right for your child:
Your child learns at his own rate. He is neither held back nor pushed forward according to the learning rates of other students. In a traditional classroom, all the children are learning the same thing and moving through the curriculum at the same rate. We know that each child has different abilities and interest. Some are good at math, while others excel in language and so on. They all have different interests as well. Since children are so different, it is unrealistic to expect that they will learn at the same rate. Because of the repetition that Maria Montessori built into her system, a child is allowed to work on something until she masters it. Since they don’t move on to the next skill until they have they mastered the present one, there are never any gaps in their education. That means there is never any need for remedial education.
Your child learns how to focus and concentrate. One of Maria Montessori’s goals was to teach children how to concentrate. This is one of the foundation skills for learning, and one that is largely ignored in traditional school systems. A Montessori day is structured so that a child’s focus is never interrupted by having to move on to the next lesson before finishing the current one.
Montessori accommodates all learning styles. This is important because some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, some learn through body movement and feeling, and some use a combination of several learning avenues. Montessori teachers are trained to use all the senses; the use of the didactic materials reinforces this.
Your child will master the important life skill of being a self-directed learner. Montessori’s aim is to nurture the inner motivation of the child while allowing the opportunity for the fullest possible exploration of his or her interests. This nurture of learning begins as soon as a child enters the scientifically designed classrooms. You will often hear the phrase “prepared environment,” because the classrooms are so carefully designed to ensure the child has the freedom to learn. This freedom to explore and choose areas of interest will carry over into a willingness to explore areas that may not otherwise appeal to a child being “force-fed” information in a traditional school setting.
The prepared environment of a Montessori classroom helps children learn to think for themselves at a rate determined by the Director. A young child new to Montessori may be given more direction at first, but as children grow in confidence and experience they are allowed to make more decisions for themselves.
Your child will achieve independence by learning how to take care of herself—her body, her belongings and her environment. Montessori understands that at the heart of every child is a healthy drive toward independence. Independence is important because it is directly related to high self esteem, competence and cooperation. Therefore, every aspect of the Montessori classroom has been designed with the goal of an independent child in mind. Every feature and piece of equipment in the classroom is fully accessible to the child, so they don’t have to constantly ask for help getting things. Tools, like the broom, are of a size they can handle easily, and children are free to choose their own work. Finally, the Montessori Director is trained to encourage independence by allowing the children to do things for themselves as soon as they are capable. For example, if they are learning to tie their shoes, the Director will ensure that are not rushed or interfered with.
A Montessori classroom is a place where children learn order. This provides the sense of security and comfort they need to become self-directed. Everyone, including children, prefers order to chaos because it is easier to function in an orderly workplace. Order helps children become independent because they can always find the work materials they are going to use next without help. By being taught to maintain this order, your child will be learning awareness for others and the fact that you have to take care of the things that are shared—which is the basis of cooperation. The order of a Montessori classroom is also present in the routines that exist. The children enter the classroom (which has been set up so that everything is meticulously in its place), hang up their coats and other belongings, greet the Director, and get straight to work. And every aspect of this routine has been patiently presented to them. There is also order within the materials themselves: every tray or piece of material on a shelf is always in its proper place and ready to be used.
While at work, disruptions are kept to a minimum so children can focus on the task at hand. All of this is why anyone observing a Montessori classroom sees a well-ordered, calm and functional environment that is perfectly set up for learning.
The classroom and the materials are designed and displayed in a way that helps your child learn how to cooperate with others in their use and have respect for the needs of others as well as the use of the materials. The social goals of helping children learn how to get along with each other, respect each other and cooperate are an important component of the Montessori approach to learning. There is only one Pink Tower in the classroom, for example. Having to share materials helps promote cooperation and patience. Having to walk carefully around each child’s mat (on which the work is done) teaches respect for others all day long. In addition, Montessori also includes structured lessons on grace and courtesy so that the child learns important social skills such as how to greet and introduce people; how to ask for something properly; and even mundane graces such as how to sneeze, cough and yawn politely (it’s fun to watch all the children blowing their noses a lot the day they learn how to do it properly).
Your child will be treated with respect and dignity in a Montessori classroom. In Montessori the child is always working on the adult he is going to become. Montessori recognizes that children deserve and need to be treated with the same respect that we treat adults.
Although they are relatively inexperienced, as a parent you must recognize that the way to help them learn is by not criticizing “failure”,” but rather by recognizing the incident as an opportunity to learn what went wrong, and helping the child find his or her path to a proper solution. This concentration on raising the child’s self esteem, coupled with a focus on the rights of others, develops the child’s entire being in a positive way, and helps the child to learn to respect the rights of others as well.
A multi-disciplinary approach is taken in regard to your child’s interests. If your child were interested in dinosaurs, for example, this interest would be explored throughout the curriculum. She would be encouraged to read about dinosaurs to learn language skills; study the measurements of dinosaurs to understand match concepts; and depict dinosaurs when doing art lessons. Her interest in dinosaurs could even be used to facilitate lessons in history and geography.
Montessori recognizes that when a child’s interests are involved, any subject becomes fascinating.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of a Montessori education is that It teaches children how to learn instead of just what to learn. It instills in them a life-long love of learning, which prepares them to successfully go in any direction their skills and interests may take them.
“Your child will achieve independence by learning how to take care of himself, and his belongings. Independence is important because it is directly related to high self esteem and cooperation.”
Some of the many reasons why Montessori is right for your child.
Everybody knows that Montessori is a great way to educate children, but not everyone understands the benefits in detail. Here are some of the many reasons why Montessori is right for your child:
Your child learns at his own rate. He is neither held back nor pushed forward according to the learning rates of other students. In a traditional classroom, all the children are learning the same thing and moving through the curriculum at the same rate. We know that each child has different abilities and interest. Some are good at math, while others excel in language and so on. They all have different interests as well. Since children are so different, it is unrealistic to expect that they will learn at the same rate. Because of the repetition that Maria Montessori built into her system, a child is allowed to work on something until she masters it. Since they don’t move on to the next skill until they have they mastered the present one, there are never any gaps in their education. That means there is never any need for remedial education.
Your child learns how to focus and concentrate. One of Maria Montessori’s goals was to teach children how to concentrate. This is one of the foundation skills for learning, and one that is largely ignored in traditional school systems. A Montessori day is structured so that a child’s focus is never interrupted by having to move on to the next lesson before finishing the current one.
Montessori accommodates all learning styles. This is important because some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, some learn through body movement and feeling, and some use a combination of several learning avenues. Montessori teachers are trained to use all the senses; the use of the didactic materials reinforces this.
Your child will master the important life skill of being a self-directed learner. Montessori’s aim is to nurture the inner motivation of the child while allowing the opportunity for the fullest possible exploration of his or her interests. This nurture of learning begins as soon as a child enters the scientifically designed classrooms. You will often hear the phrase “prepared environment,” because the classrooms are so carefully designed to ensure the child has the freedom to learn. This freedom to explore and choose areas of interest will carry over into a willingness to explore areas that may not otherwise appeal to a child being “force-fed” information in a traditional school setting.
The prepared environment of a Montessori classroom helps children learn to think for themselves at a rate determined by the Director. A young child new to Montessori may be given more direction at first, but as children grow in confidence and experience they are allowed to make more decisions for themselves.
Your child will achieve independence by learning how to take care of herself—her body, her belongings and her environment. Montessori understands that at the heart of every child is a healthy drive toward independence. Independence is important because it is directly related to high self esteem, competence and cooperation. Therefore, every aspect of the Montessori classroom has been designed with the goal of an independent child in mind. Every feature and piece of equipment in the classroom is fully accessible to the child, so they don’t have to constantly ask for help getting things. Tools, like the broom, are of a size they can handle easily, and children are free to choose their own work. Finally, the Montessori Director is trained to encourage independence by allowing the children to do things for themselves as soon as they are capable. For example, if they are learning to tie their shoes, the Director will ensure that are not rushed or interfered with.
A Montessori classroom is a place where children learn order. This provides the sense of security and comfort they need to become self-directed. Everyone, including children, prefers order to chaos because it is easier to function in an orderly workplace. Order helps children become independent because they can always find the work materials they are going to use next without help. By being taught to maintain this order, your child will be learning awareness for others and the fact that you have to take care of the things that are shared—which is the basis of cooperation. The order of a Montessori classroom is also present in the routines that exist. The children enter the classroom (which has been set up so that everything is meticulously in its place), hang up their coats and other belongings, greet the Director, and get straight to work. And every aspect of this routine has been patiently presented to them. There is also order within the materials themselves: every tray or piece of material on a shelf is always in its proper place and ready to be used.
While at work, disruptions are kept to a minimum so children can focus on the task at hand. All of this is why anyone observing a Montessori classroom sees a well-ordered, calm and functional environment that is perfectly set up for learning.
The classroom and the materials are designed and displayed in a way that helps your child learn how to cooperate with others in their use and have respect for the needs of others as well as the use of the materials. The social goals of helping children learn how to get along with each other, respect each other and cooperate are an important component of the Montessori approach to learning. There is only one Pink Tower in the classroom, for example. Having to share materials helps promote cooperation and patience. Having to walk carefully around each child’s mat (on which the work is done) teaches respect for others all day long. In addition, Montessori also includes structured lessons on grace and courtesy so that the child learns important social skills such as how to greet and introduce people; how to ask for something properly; and even mundane graces such as how to sneeze, cough and yawn politely (it’s fun to watch all the children blowing their noses a lot the day they learn how to do it properly).
Your child will be treated with respect and dignity in a Montessori classroom. In Montessori the child is always working on the adult he is going to become. Montessori recognizes that children deserve and need to be treated with the same respect that we treat adults.
Although they are relatively inexperienced, as a parent you must recognize that the way to help them learn is by not criticizing “failure”,” but rather by recognizing the incident as an opportunity to learn what went wrong, and helping the child find his or her path to a proper solution. This concentration on raising the child’s self esteem, coupled with a focus on the rights of others, develops the child’s entire being in a positive way, and helps the child to learn to respect the rights of others as well.
A multi-disciplinary approach is taken in regard to your child’s interests. If your child were interested in dinosaurs, for example, this interest would be explored throughout the curriculum. She would be encouraged to read about dinosaurs to learn language skills; study the measurements of dinosaurs to understand match concepts; and depict dinosaurs when doing art lessons. Her interest in dinosaurs could even be used to facilitate lessons in history and geography.
Montessori recognizes that when a child’s interests are involved, any subject becomes fascinating.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of a Montessori education is that It teaches children how to learn instead of just what to learn. It instills in them a life-long love of learning, which prepares them to successfully go in any direction their skills and interests may take them.
“Your child will achieve independence by learning how to take care of himself, and his belongings. Independence is important because it is directly related to high self esteem and cooperation.”
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
What's Lost as Handwriting Fades
What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades
By MARIA KONNIKOVAJUNE 2, 2014
Credit
Michael Mabry
Does handwriting matter?
Not very much, according to many
educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states,
call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade.
After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard.
But psychologists and
neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the
past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader
educational development run deep.
Children not only learn to read more
quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better
able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just
what we write that matters — but how.
“When we write, a unique neural
circuit is automatically activated,” said Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris. “There
is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition
by mental simulation in your brain.
Handwriting is being dropped in
public schools — that could be bad for young minds. Google’s new hands-free computer
is finding its way into operating rooms. Breast cancer survivors find the start
of their new lives in a tattoo artist’s work.
Subscribe to the Podcast » David Corcoran, Kassie Bracken and Jeffery DelViscio
Subscribe to the Podcast » David Corcoran, Kassie Bracken and Jeffery DelViscio
“And it seems that this circuit is
contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize,” he continued. “Learning is made
easier.”
A 2012 study
led by Karin James, a psychologist at Indiana University,
lent support to that view. Children who had not yet learned to read and write
were presented with a letter or a shape on an index card and asked to reproduce
it in one of three ways: trace the image on a page with a dotted outline, draw
it on a blank white sheet, or type it on a computer. They were then placed in a
brain scanner and shown the image again.
The researchers found that the
initial duplication process mattered a great deal. When children had drawn a
letter freehand, they exhibited increased activity in three areas of the brain
that are activated in adults when they read and write: the left fusiform gyrus,
the inferior frontal gyrus and the posterior parietal cortex.
By contrast, children who typed or
traced the letter or shape showed no such effect. The activation was
significantly weaker.
Dr. James
attributes the differences to the messiness inherent in free-form handwriting:
Not only must we first plan and execute the action in a way that is not
required when we have a traceable outline, but we are also likely to produce a
result that is highly variable.
Karin James, a psychologist at
Indiana University, used a scanner to see how handwriting affected activity in
children’s brains. Credit A. J. Mast for The New York Times
That variability may itself be a
learning tool. “When a kid produces a messy letter,” Dr. James said, “that
might help him learn it.”
Our brain must understand that each
possible iteration of, say, an “a” is the same, no matter how we see it
written. Being able to decipher the messiness of each “a” may be more helpful
in establishing that eventual representation than seeing the same result
repeatedly.
“This is one of the first
demonstrations of the brain being changed because of that practice,” Dr. James
said.
In another study, Dr. James is
comparing children who physically form letters with those who only watch others
doing it. Her observations suggest that it is only the actual effort that
engages the brain’s motor pathways and delivers the learning benefits of
handwriting.
The effect
goes well beyond letter recognition. In a study that followed
children in grades two through five, Virginia Berninger, a psychologist at the University of
Washington, demonstrated that printing, cursive writing, and typing on a
keyboard are all associated 
with distinct and separate brain patterns — and each results
in a distinct end product. When the children composed text by hand, they not
only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard,
but expressed more ideas. And brain imaging in the
oldest subjects suggested that the connection between writing and idea
generation went even further. When these children were asked to come up with
ideas for a composition, the ones with better handwriting exhibited greater
neural activation in areas associated with working memory — and increased
overall activation in the reading and writing networks.
with distinct and separate brain patterns — and each results
in a distinct end product. When the children composed text by hand, they not
only consistently produced more words more quickly than they did on a keyboard,
but expressed more ideas. And brain imaging in the
oldest subjects suggested that the connection between writing and idea
generation went even further. When these children were asked to come up with
ideas for a composition, the ones with better handwriting exhibited greater
neural activation in areas associated with working memory — and increased
overall activation in the reading and writing networks.
Samples of
handwriting by young children. Dr. James found that when children drew a letter
freehand, they exhibited increased activity in three significant areas of the
brain, which didn’t happen when they traced or typed the letter. Credit Karin
James Continue reading the main story
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
About Maria Montessori...
About Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was born in 1870
in Chiaravalle , Italy
She became the first woman medical
doctor in Italy , and early
in her career, she started working with children in the slums of Rome
Maria Montessori was nominated for
the Nobel Peace prize in 1949, 1950, and 1951. A scientist, educator,
humanitarian, and philosopher, she was also a visionary.
About
Montessori Education
In 1907 Montessori opened the first
Casa de Bambini (Children’s House) in Rome. In this environment, children were
introduced to activities and then allowed to choose to participate or not.
Montessori learned from the children which activities were appropriate.
Gradually Montessori accumulated a series of materials that are still used in
Montessori schools around the world. As well as the materials, her observations
led her to theories on how children learn best. Many of her “discoveries” are
well-accepted in early childhood education today.
- Respect for the Child: Children are
different from adults and each other; each one of us is unique and
deserves respect.
- The “Absorbent Mind:” The first six
years of life are immensely important in terms of learning. During this
period, children have extraordinary abilities to learn almost
effortlessly; they “absorb” information from their environment, whatever
that environment might be.
- The “Prepared Environment:”
Children learn best and become confident individuals in an environment
(home or school) where appropriate activities are available, where they
can choose their own activities, and where they can progress at their own
pace using self-correcting materials. Montessori tells us to “follow the
child.”
- Purposeful Work: Through meaningful
activities designed so children can succeed, children create themselves.
The child, in essence, is asking us to “Help me do it by myself.”
- The Human Potential: Education
begins at birth… and never ends. If children’s developmental needs are
met, children will be able to maximize their potentials, whatever they may
be. Montessori extended this premise to the world as a whole, where
fulfilled and well-balanced adults would begin to behave better towards
each other, leading eventually to a world at peace.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Roles of a Montessori Teacher - By Anne Burke Neubert
Roles of a Montessori
Teacher
Anne
Burke Neubert, in A Way of Learning (1973)
* The
Montessori Teacher is the dynamic link
between the child and the Prepared Environment.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a systematic
observer of the child and an interpreter of his needs.
* The
Montessori Teacher is an experimenter,
tailoring the environment to meet his perceptions of the child's needs and
interests, and objectively noting the results.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a programmer, preparing
the environment and keeping in perfect condition, adding to it and removing
materials as needed.
* The
Montessori Teacher is an evaluator,
judging the effectiveness of her own work and the environment every day. She
must also evaluate the progress of each child.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a respecter and
protector of the child. He must know when to step in, set limits or lend a
helping hand, and when it is in the child's best interests to step back and not
interfere.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a supporter,
offering warmth, security, stability, and non-judgmental acceptance to each
child.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a facilitator of
communication among the children and of the child's effort to communicate
with her. She must also interpret the child's progress and her work to parents,
the school staff, and the community.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a demonstrator,
presenting clear, interesting and relevant lessons to the child. His role is to
seduce the child into spontaneous fascination with the materials through his
demonstrations.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a consistent good
example of desirable behavior for the children, following the ground-rules
of the class herself, and exhibiting a sense of calm, consistency, grace and
courtesy, and demonstrating respect for every child.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a peacemaker,
consistently working to teach courteous behaviors and conflict resolution.
* The
Montessori Teacher is a diagnostician,
able to interpret the patterns of diversity, and non-judgmental acceptance to
each child.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Children; Yesterday and Today
In this article I will attempt to share my observations of children I have worked with over almost 40 years of teaching and how they have changed. I am alarmed at the stages of learning that are not being met. When I was growing up and when I first began teaching children spent a lot of time in the out of doors. They played in the mud, dug in the garden, collected rocks and bugs, built forts and tree houses, climbed trees and rocks, who needed a climbing structure? When they came to the Montessori classroom they were ripe for learning.
Now our children have to have a soft landing wherever they go, and OMG if they get dirty they need to be disinfected. Our children’s lack of outdoor experience has a name: “NatureDeficit Disorder is not a medical condition — it describes our lack of a relationship to the environment. It hurts our children, our families, our communities, and our environment. Luckily,the cure starts in our own backyards.” To read more go to:
http://www.education.com/topic/nature-deficit-disorder/ or just google “Nature Deficit Disorder”. It is very interesting and I believe it has a lot to do with where our children are today.
When I began teaching, I was in my early 20’s. I often thought then “I would like to work in an orphanage, parents just get in the way”. It did not take long to realize that parents are the main teachers and influence on their children and when we work as a team the children benefit.Montessori is a wonderful environment for children to thrive in and it is dependent on our team effort.
It was 1974, I was head teacher of a class of 36 children 2.5 – 6 years old. We sometimeseven accepted children just over 2. Why? You say. Because they were Potty trained and ready developmentally to begin in our program. Most children already had begun expressive languageand speaking in 3-4 word sentences. I think that expectations are the key, the children are very capable of this level of learning and parents naturally expected it. Actually, the sensitive period for potty training is 18-24 months, a child is capable of speech if it is expected and modeled. When we talk to children like we talk to adults, they pick up on more interesting vocabulary and conversational skills. As far a potty training goes, please don’t be offended but, when disposablediapers hit the scene parental motivation to help their child learn to use the toilet went out the window. Today we are all moving at such a fast pace that we do not want to take time to do what we can put off until tomorrow. This is not serving our children.
The developmental level attained by a 3 year old today is much more like a 2 year old back in the “olden days”. We get calls from parents who have almost 4 year old who is not yet potty trained. We work with children who do not look you in the eye when talking, who speak in stilted baby talk or point and grunt when they want something. Why is this? My guess is that the speed we move at today and TV have had the greatest effect o children. Because adults had to move fast, mentally and physically, to keep up in our society, TV became a great tool to keep children quiet and occupied. Unfortunately, this does not meet the developmental need of the young child. There is no response needed the program just drones on whether the child speaks to it or not. So language is stunted in a way. They hear words but do not have to speak back to them. When children are with an adult the back and forth of conversation is absorbed by the child’s brain, which is like a sponge between 0 and 6 years old. The adult can slow down and/or enunciate speech as they converse with the child. They can also vary the words so their child learns to have a more interesting communication skills. Instead of “gimme water” or “wa wa” your child can be expected to say “I am thirsty, may I have a drink, please?” They will not get these skills from TV shows that dumb down language for children.
I really believe that it is not really the quantity of time that you spend with your child, but it is the quality and focused time that you spend which will give you children the most. So turn off the cell phone, computer and TV and spend 30-60 minutes a day, listening and communicating with your child, playing in the mud, building something, cooking, gardening, the possibilities are endless. You can never make up this time later. Remember the song “Cats in a Cradle” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH46SmVv8SU) it is so true. Take it to heart. No one else can do what you do for your child. Also, this is not just Mom’s job; both parents need to be involved. Remember it is just a short time each day that will have lifetime of consequences.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Attention to Detail is Important
ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS IMPORTANT By Sam Parker
A recent fancy dinner reminded me of a story about my entitled 20something youth ... a time when I thought the world was here to serve me (when I was a bit more of an brat than I am now ... I think).
It was the beautifully aligned glasses across the open table that gave me the flashback.
I must have been about 24 (how sweet the sound). I was selling insurance. To supplement my income, I waited tables in a popular restaurant in Washington D.C. (Georgetown). On this particular shift, I was standing around doing nothing and the manager (a young person, as well) came to me and said...
"If you don't have anything else to do right now, in your section, make sure all the place settings are aligned nicely. I want you to imagine a string held over your row of tables, above the glasses. Those glasses should be perfectly aligned. Understand?"
It's possible she added a please or two but I'm sure I didn't hear it.
I remember thinking (and saying with my eyes, I'm sure), "You're a fanatic." I remember being angry and thinking her request was just busywork.
And now, like so many things with an added quarter century of experience, if I were to see a video of my response, I'm sure I'd be embarrassed.
She was serious about her work. And now, she's the reason I like going to particular restaurants, shopping at particular stores, and working with particular people and companies.
Attention to detail. Care. To a fanatical level.
I know it's a long shot, but if you're reading this and you think you're the "fanatic" I'm writing about (you were a manager at J. Paul's in the early 90s), please call or email me. I'd love to send you an apology gift. Really.
Sam (the guy behind this stuff)
SamParker@GiveMore.com | 8047624500 ext. 303
P.S. If you're a leader (with a title or not), what are you doing on a regular basis (an all the time thing) to inspire that deeper care and attention that we all want (inspire ... not control)? Call or email anytime. I'd love to hear what's working for you.
One or two of my books (below) might be helpful to you. Sometimes people are more open to the "let's get fanatical" message when it comes from someone not so close to the situation.
Ideas and thoughts to help everyone stay focused on the good things that bring great results...
A recent fancy dinner reminded me of a story about my entitled 20something youth ... a time when I thought the world was here to serve me (when I was a bit more of an brat than I am now ... I think).
It was the beautifully aligned glasses across the open table that gave me the flashback.
I must have been about 24 (how sweet the sound). I was selling insurance. To supplement my income, I waited tables in a popular restaurant in Washington D.C. (Georgetown). On this particular shift, I was standing around doing nothing and the manager (a young person, as well) came to me and said...
"If you don't have anything else to do right now, in your section, make sure all the place settings are aligned nicely. I want you to imagine a string held over your row of tables, above the glasses. Those glasses should be perfectly aligned. Understand?"
It's possible she added a please or two but I'm sure I didn't hear it.
I remember thinking (and saying with my eyes, I'm sure), "You're a fanatic." I remember being angry and thinking her request was just busywork.
And now, like so many things with an added quarter century of experience, if I were to see a video of my response, I'm sure I'd be embarrassed.
She was serious about her work. And now, she's the reason I like going to particular restaurants, shopping at particular stores, and working with particular people and companies.
Attention to detail. Care. To a fanatical level.
I know it's a long shot, but if you're reading this and you think you're the "fanatic" I'm writing about (you were a manager at J. Paul's in the early 90s), please call or email me. I'd love to send you an apology gift. Really.
Sam (the guy behind this stuff)
SamParker@GiveMore.com | 8047624500 ext. 303
P.S. If you're a leader (with a title or not), what are you doing on a regular basis (an all the time thing) to inspire that deeper care and attention that we all want (inspire ... not control)? Call or email anytime. I'd love to hear what's working for you.
One or two of my books (below) might be helpful to you. Sometimes people are more open to the "let's get fanatical" message when it comes from someone not so close to the situation.
Ideas and thoughts to help everyone stay focused on the good things that bring great results...
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Being a Montessori Parent
Being a Montessori Parent
By Karen Skinulis and Stanley Shapiro
You are the bridge between what your child will learn at Montessori and what your child can learn at home. As a Montessori parent, it will not take you long to learn that every moment can become an exciting learning experience.
Choosing how your child will be educated, especially in the early formative years, can be the most important decision you make regarding your child’s future. Research proves that the early childhood school education can have a lifetime impact. The decision you make for your child now will affect his or her academic and social progress through adolescence, university and life.
If you have made or are thinking of making the decision to enroll your child in a Montessori school, you are probably asking yourself a lot of questions, such as: What do I need to know that will help me more fully understand this fascinating approach to learning? What can I do at home to help make the Montessori experience even richer for my child? What makes Montessori unique?
While you may think that Montessori education is a method, it is really more an approach or attitude about life, growth and development. Montessori materials do not create that approach; rather, under-standing Montessori principles can help you create the right attitude about your child's learning. Ba-sic to this attitude is to understand that you cannot learn for your child. Only he or she can do that. Your job, as the first educator of your children, is to help them learn for themselves.
For 100 years, Montessori has educated generations of children all around the world. Dr. Maria Montessori, the creator of the Montessori approach to education, was a keen observer of children and how they learn. Her methods and conclusions were ahead of her time; but, within the context of today’s enlightened educational approach, they are at the cutting edge of where education is head-ing.
The following will help you acquaint yourself with your child’s new learning environment.
Montessori at Home
Remember the first time you walked into a Montessori classroom? The beautiful, imaginative materials and the calm, orderly atmosphere probably enchanted you. That is the same atmosphere you want to create for your home, and it is not as difficult as you may think. After all, if a classroom with twenty or more children moving about can be orderly, certainly your home can be as well.
The principles of Montessori that your child will be experiencing at school all day are important and specific. It will increase the benefit to your child if you can make the transition from school to home as seamless as possible.
Here are some concrete ways you can reinforce the experience for your child by using Montessori principles at home.
Encourage Independence
“A servant does things for a child, while a (parent) should be an educator.” - Maria Montessori
You can continue the Montessori experience for your child at home by helping him learn to take care of his own body, learn the joys of an orderly life, and learn to be a contributor to the family. By doing this, you engender a confident feeling of “I can do it myself!”
To encourage independence, always let your child do things for him or herself whenever he or she shows an interest. If your child wants to help you cook, take the time to show him how to beat the eggs or tear the lettuce. Explain the reason for the process. It is always important when showing a task to explain what the end result, the accomplishment will be. Then enjoy the wonderful experi-ence of working with your child at a common task.
Of course, letting young children do things for themselves—making their own breakfast, putting their clothes on, brushing their teeth—always takes more time and can be difficult in busy families. The payoff is that they learn self-reliance and self-confidence, just as they do in a Montessori school. Of course you have to always be aware of your child’s age, size and stage of development. With this in mind, you can adjust your child’s room so they can access things like drawers and hangers without your help.
If you have questions about something in particular or need some additional general guidance, ask your child’s Montessori teacher. He or she will be glad to help.
Establish Order
The order of a Montessori classroom can also be echoed at home. Establishing order in the home helps children become more independent. An orderly environment helps children concentrate and focus on the tasks at hand. Contrary to what you may think as you gaze about the house, children (like all human beings) actually have a natural affinity for order. The child only needs to be guided in that direction.
Take the time to set up the different rooms in the house so that everything your child needs is organized and within reach. This is an imperative, because it makes everything so much easier for her to do things for herself. And when she does, her confidence and sense of accomplishment will blossom as much as her sense of order. It’s not as hard as you might imagine. You can start in the child’s bedroom by using low bins, hooks and shelving that young children can use to put their things away.
Keep clutter to a minimum by rotating some of the child’s toys into storage so that they are not all out at one time. Keeping their room orderly minimizes distraction and creates an environment that sup-ports concentration. For older children, take advantage of some of the new home organization products to keep things manageable—things like CD holders, computer workstations, and closet organizers. Another example of this is to make the entrance-way of your home child-friendly by having designated areas for boots and jackets. In the kitchen you can have an easy-to-get-at place to put their bowls and cutlery.
The following are some other examples of how you can set up your home to encourage order, develop self-confidence and independence:
• Lower or install the hanger pole in the closet and towel rack in the bathroom so they can hang up their own clothes and towels.
• Hang a color chart in the bedroom so the child can see for himself what colors go together when picking out clothing.
• Dresser drawers can be labeled with fun pictures or photos of underwear, shirts, socks, etc., and dividers used to organize the drawers better. Print or type the names oof the items next to the images.
• Lower shelves are a good place for storing toys, but avoid big toy boxes. They can quickly be-come disorganized dumping grounds.
• A small step stool by the sink lets children turn on the taps themselves in the kitchen and the bathroom. That means they can brush their teeth, wash their face and hands, and even help with the dishes.
• Keep all their toiletries (tooth brush, toothpaste, water cup, etc.) in a small box on the bathroom counter or in a low drawer so they can be reached easily.
• Place simple snack foods such as cereal and peanut butter on a special low shelf in the kitchen so they can help themselves. Put a child-size jug of milk or other healthy beverage on a low shelf so they can pour themselves a cup and then put it away.
Help Children to be Helpful
In a Montessori classroom, children are taught to be helpful to others and to take care of the class-room itself. They wash chairs and tables, dust, organize shelves and engage in all kinds of activities that help them feel that they are valuable members of the group and raise their self-esteem. Of course all of these activities teach children valuable organization and motor skills, but they are also wonderful at developing empathy and help the child develop the built-in emotional response toward caring for other people. That’s why giving children opportunities to help out at home is just as essential as it is at school.
The most important part of helping children to be helpful is called “take time for teaching.” Children absorb a great deal through observation, but you can’t only rely on that. There are certain skills that you have to show them how to do. This teaching should be part of your child’s daily routine at home, just as it is in a Montessori classroom. Each skill should be taught separately, with a lot of patience and confidence in the child’s ability to learn. This can be a lot of work for busy parents, but keep in mind that if you don’t take time to teach, you will spend a lot more of your valuable time correcting a child who doesn't know how to do things, or worse yet, does not understand the value of life and how to enjoy it.
Some tips on how to teach your child include:
• Let them learn at their own speed. Often lessons to young children have to be repeated several times. For this reason, times when everyone is rushed—such as when everyone is trying to get out the door in the morning—are not good times for teaching. Do it when there is lots of time and calm in the house.
• When they try something for the first time and get it wrong (as they often do), don’t correct them right away or criticize. The focus here should be on effort, not results. By all means teach them how to put their shoes on the right feet or pour milk without spilling it, but at a later time so that they don’t connect the correction with their effort. Remember that criticism lowers self-esteem and motivation. And creates a barrier to learning.
• Don’t interfere with children when they are attempting to learn something. They will find it harder to focus if you jump in to correct or explain. Also, children won’t learn the skills if we do it for them; and worse, they can learn to become helpless and wait for others to do it.
Develop Concentration
By Karen Skinulis and Stanley Shapiro
You are the bridge between what your child will learn at Montessori and what your child can learn at home. As a Montessori parent, it will not take you long to learn that every moment can become an exciting learning experience.
Choosing how your child will be educated, especially in the early formative years, can be the most important decision you make regarding your child’s future. Research proves that the early childhood school education can have a lifetime impact. The decision you make for your child now will affect his or her academic and social progress through adolescence, university and life.
If you have made or are thinking of making the decision to enroll your child in a Montessori school, you are probably asking yourself a lot of questions, such as: What do I need to know that will help me more fully understand this fascinating approach to learning? What can I do at home to help make the Montessori experience even richer for my child? What makes Montessori unique?
While you may think that Montessori education is a method, it is really more an approach or attitude about life, growth and development. Montessori materials do not create that approach; rather, under-standing Montessori principles can help you create the right attitude about your child's learning. Ba-sic to this attitude is to understand that you cannot learn for your child. Only he or she can do that. Your job, as the first educator of your children, is to help them learn for themselves.
For 100 years, Montessori has educated generations of children all around the world. Dr. Maria Montessori, the creator of the Montessori approach to education, was a keen observer of children and how they learn. Her methods and conclusions were ahead of her time; but, within the context of today’s enlightened educational approach, they are at the cutting edge of where education is head-ing.
The following will help you acquaint yourself with your child’s new learning environment.
Montessori at Home
Remember the first time you walked into a Montessori classroom? The beautiful, imaginative materials and the calm, orderly atmosphere probably enchanted you. That is the same atmosphere you want to create for your home, and it is not as difficult as you may think. After all, if a classroom with twenty or more children moving about can be orderly, certainly your home can be as well.
The principles of Montessori that your child will be experiencing at school all day are important and specific. It will increase the benefit to your child if you can make the transition from school to home as seamless as possible.
Here are some concrete ways you can reinforce the experience for your child by using Montessori principles at home.
Encourage Independence
“A servant does things for a child, while a (parent) should be an educator.” - Maria Montessori
You can continue the Montessori experience for your child at home by helping him learn to take care of his own body, learn the joys of an orderly life, and learn to be a contributor to the family. By doing this, you engender a confident feeling of “I can do it myself!”
To encourage independence, always let your child do things for him or herself whenever he or she shows an interest. If your child wants to help you cook, take the time to show him how to beat the eggs or tear the lettuce. Explain the reason for the process. It is always important when showing a task to explain what the end result, the accomplishment will be. Then enjoy the wonderful experi-ence of working with your child at a common task.
Of course, letting young children do things for themselves—making their own breakfast, putting their clothes on, brushing their teeth—always takes more time and can be difficult in busy families. The payoff is that they learn self-reliance and self-confidence, just as they do in a Montessori school. Of course you have to always be aware of your child’s age, size and stage of development. With this in mind, you can adjust your child’s room so they can access things like drawers and hangers without your help.
If you have questions about something in particular or need some additional general guidance, ask your child’s Montessori teacher. He or she will be glad to help.
Establish Order
The order of a Montessori classroom can also be echoed at home. Establishing order in the home helps children become more independent. An orderly environment helps children concentrate and focus on the tasks at hand. Contrary to what you may think as you gaze about the house, children (like all human beings) actually have a natural affinity for order. The child only needs to be guided in that direction.
Take the time to set up the different rooms in the house so that everything your child needs is organized and within reach. This is an imperative, because it makes everything so much easier for her to do things for herself. And when she does, her confidence and sense of accomplishment will blossom as much as her sense of order. It’s not as hard as you might imagine. You can start in the child’s bedroom by using low bins, hooks and shelving that young children can use to put their things away.
Keep clutter to a minimum by rotating some of the child’s toys into storage so that they are not all out at one time. Keeping their room orderly minimizes distraction and creates an environment that sup-ports concentration. For older children, take advantage of some of the new home organization products to keep things manageable—things like CD holders, computer workstations, and closet organizers. Another example of this is to make the entrance-way of your home child-friendly by having designated areas for boots and jackets. In the kitchen you can have an easy-to-get-at place to put their bowls and cutlery.
The following are some other examples of how you can set up your home to encourage order, develop self-confidence and independence:
• Lower or install the hanger pole in the closet and towel rack in the bathroom so they can hang up their own clothes and towels.
• Hang a color chart in the bedroom so the child can see for himself what colors go together when picking out clothing.
• Dresser drawers can be labeled with fun pictures or photos of underwear, shirts, socks, etc., and dividers used to organize the drawers better. Print or type the names oof the items next to the images.
• Lower shelves are a good place for storing toys, but avoid big toy boxes. They can quickly be-come disorganized dumping grounds.
• A small step stool by the sink lets children turn on the taps themselves in the kitchen and the bathroom. That means they can brush their teeth, wash their face and hands, and even help with the dishes.
• Keep all their toiletries (tooth brush, toothpaste, water cup, etc.) in a small box on the bathroom counter or in a low drawer so they can be reached easily.
• Place simple snack foods such as cereal and peanut butter on a special low shelf in the kitchen so they can help themselves. Put a child-size jug of milk or other healthy beverage on a low shelf so they can pour themselves a cup and then put it away.
Help Children to be Helpful
In a Montessori classroom, children are taught to be helpful to others and to take care of the class-room itself. They wash chairs and tables, dust, organize shelves and engage in all kinds of activities that help them feel that they are valuable members of the group and raise their self-esteem. Of course all of these activities teach children valuable organization and motor skills, but they are also wonderful at developing empathy and help the child develop the built-in emotional response toward caring for other people. That’s why giving children opportunities to help out at home is just as essential as it is at school.
The most important part of helping children to be helpful is called “take time for teaching.” Children absorb a great deal through observation, but you can’t only rely on that. There are certain skills that you have to show them how to do. This teaching should be part of your child’s daily routine at home, just as it is in a Montessori classroom. Each skill should be taught separately, with a lot of patience and confidence in the child’s ability to learn. This can be a lot of work for busy parents, but keep in mind that if you don’t take time to teach, you will spend a lot more of your valuable time correcting a child who doesn't know how to do things, or worse yet, does not understand the value of life and how to enjoy it.
Some tips on how to teach your child include:
• Let them learn at their own speed. Often lessons to young children have to be repeated several times. For this reason, times when everyone is rushed—such as when everyone is trying to get out the door in the morning—are not good times for teaching. Do it when there is lots of time and calm in the house.
• When they try something for the first time and get it wrong (as they often do), don’t correct them right away or criticize. The focus here should be on effort, not results. By all means teach them how to put their shoes on the right feet or pour milk without spilling it, but at a later time so that they don’t connect the correction with their effort. Remember that criticism lowers self-esteem and motivation. And creates a barrier to learning.
• Don’t interfere with children when they are attempting to learn something. They will find it harder to focus if you jump in to correct or explain. Also, children won’t learn the skills if we do it for them; and worse, they can learn to become helpless and wait for others to do it.
Develop Concentration
Maria Montessori always said that a focused child is a happy child. Whenever possible, don’t interrupt a child when he is engaged and focused on something. You can encourage focus by paying attention to what sparks enthusiasm and interest in your child, and then make sure you provide opportunities and materials to help this happen. Does your child like water? Let him wash dishes or scrub a soapy floor. If she likes to build things (out of toothpicks or wood or cardboard, etc.), make sure you have the materials on hand.
Like every skill, concentration deepens with practice. Young children, even babies have the ability to concentrate, and yet, often, adults will interrupt. Once interrupted, the child’s concentration is broken, and the engagement stops.
You can help develop your child’s concentration by limiting the amount of TV and videos your child watches. TV entertains by constantly changing images. This is occupation, not concentration. Furthermore, TV limits your child’s ability to create his own visual images. Another way to encourage concentration is to avoid interrupting your child when she is engaged. This is the same courtesy we expect from your children—to wait until we have finished a task. Lastly, create an orderly work environment for your child so that they can concentrate without distracting items such as TV, radio or clutter.
Children can do all kinds of things round the house, including: setting and clearing the table; loading and unloading the dishwasher; making their own lunches; making their bed; feeding and watering pets; dead-heading and watering plants in the house and in the garden; cleaning mirrors and windows; sweeping and vacuuming; sorting and folding laundry; and bringing in the mail. These are not “just housework or chores,” they are valuable learning experiences that will imprint areas of the brain regarding small and large thought centers, nerve and muscle control centers.
Even very young children can: bring flyers in from the mailbox; scrape food off of dishes; put cutlery away; fold clothes; and organize shoes at the front door. As they master the tasks, you will find them wanting to accomplish more!
Introduce Your Child to Nature
Maria Montessori believed that nature talks directly to children. Go for walks in the woods with your children to collect pine cones, leaves and seeds, or draw pictures of birds that you see. Encourage them to observe insects (like an ant farm) or animals in the wild. Growing plants from seeds or sprouts from a carrot top are always rewarding for children, and having a backyard garden makes a lot of sense, too. Other ideal places for children to spend time are a sandy beach full of shells and other natural objects at the shoreline, or even just a yard full of snow.
Do Practical Life at Home
Children learn by doing. Practical Life [see glossary] is all about teaching a child how to take care of the environment and himself. Children enjoy repetitively practicing real-life things. Give your child the real-life experience of folding socks into pairs, polishing shoes, sorting cutlery and folding clothes out the dryer. Children will spend many happy hours with a button box filled with a fabulous array of buttons, sorting them into different colors, shapes and sizes. This is a perfect example of how you can take everyday objects (the more beautiful and interesting the better) to get your child involved. Some of the best learning experiences come from the mundane and ordinary efforts of life, giving children the opportunity to exercise their mind and their motor skills.
Enable Self-Discovery
Children love to discover things for themselves. As a parent, your role is to help create the environment and provide the time for your child to find out for herself. This kind of help can include: asking leading questions, providing a few extra steps in an activity, or giving her time to discover and reflect on what she is seeing or experiencing. It is challenging as a parent not to rush in and provide the answer when your child has a question, but with patience you will enable your child’s sense of curiosity and joy of discovery to blossom into a love of life-long learning.
Encourage Choice and Interest in Learning
Adults, like children, learn best when engaged in self-chosen activities. If you want to play a game or share an activity with your child, first be sure she is interested. If you introduce a new game, do so when your child is most ready for a new experience. Usually that means when your child is well rested. Activities your child already knows can be engaged in at any time. Be ready to stop an activity if your child becomes frustrated or does not want to continue. Try to end on a positive note such as, “We’ll do this later, when you are ready.”
Children enjoy playing games that allow them to build on previous learning. Remember the Goldilocks story: Just the right bowl of porridge, not one too hot or too cold. If a game is too easy or too difficult, your child will not want to play, nor will she learn a positive experience if forced to.
Determining just the right amount of challenge requires knowing your child and assessing the size of the steps to be taken when moving from one activity to another.
Use Encouragement, Not Rewards or Treats
Have you ever offered your child a trade-off if he completed a task? This is often tempting and can have a short-term effect. But consider the message you are giving. When you use external re-wards to motivate your child, he learns that there is no intrinsic value to the activity, and the only reason to do it is for the reward.
Encouragement is all that is needed if a task is worth doing. It should have value for its own sake. Comments such as, “You worked hard on this,” or “You did this all by yourself,” are the reward they appreciate and learn from.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Designing a Montessori Home
Designing a Montessori Home
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
by Tim Seldin
Organizing the Home
The Bedroom
“We must give the child an environment that he can utilize by himself: a little washstand of his own, a bureau with drawers he can open, objects of common use that he can operate, a small bed in which he can sleep at night under an attractive blanket he can fold and spread by himself. We must give him an environment in which he can live and play; then we will see him work all day with his hands and wait impatiently to undress himself and lay himself down on his own bed.”
- Maria Montessori
Children’s bedrooms should clearly reflect their personalities and current interests.Even though on their own they may tend to create chaos, young children have a tremendous need and love for an orderly environment. Everything should have its own place and the environment should be organized to make it easy for the child to maintain a neat, well organized atmosphere.
• Ideally, the young child’s bed should be low to the floor, making it easy for toddlers to get in and out on their own. Rather than a crib, Montessori urged parents to modify the bedroom to facilitate both the child's safety and his early independence. Consider a Japanese futon or a mattress without the bed frame.
• By age five, you may wish to allow your child to use a sleeping bag on his bed instead of sheets and blankets. This will make it easy for him to make his own bed in the morning.
• Mount a nice little coat and hat rack low on one wall where your child can reach them easily.
• Decorate the walls with high quality art prints of children or animals hung at the child’s eye level.
• Mount a wall clock at the child’s level. Select one with a large easily read face.
• Modify your light switches with extenders to allow the young child to turn his lights on and off independently.
• Hang a bulletin board on the wall at your child’s eye level on which he can hang art work school papers.
• Don’t use a toy box. Imagine the chaos in your kitchen or workshop if you threw your tools and utensils together in a chest. Instead use low shelves to display books and toys Try to duplicate the look of your child’s classroom.
• Notice how Montessori teachers avoid clutter. Place toys with many pieces in appropriate containers,such as Tupperware “boxes” with lids, basket, or in a sturdy plastic bag.
• Use a sturdy wooden crate to hold your child’s building blocks.
• You may want to create a model town or farm on piece of heavy plywood. Paint it green and sprinklemodel railroad “grass” on it to simulate a meadow. Placed on a low table, your child can create wonderful displays with model buildings made of wood or plastic. Add little trees and people from a model railroad set. You could set up a doll house this way as well.
• Store Lego blocks in a large, colorful and sturdy canvas bag with handles. Sew on strips of velcro to fasten the bag closed. In your child’s bedroom the bag will serve as a sack to contain his Legos. When you travel it is very easy to pick the bag up to come along.
• Make sure that your child’s clothes chest has drawers that are the right height for him or her to open and look inside. Label the drawers: underwear, socks, etc.
• Flower vases: Encourage your child to collect flowers from the fields or garden for his room.
• Provide some shelf space for a small nature museum in your child’s room. Here he can display rocks that he finds, interesting seeds, and (in small cages) interesting ‘critters.’
• Music should be an important part of every child’s life. Set some space aside for a simple stereo system and collection of recordings.
The Bathroom
• The bathroom must be prepared for your child. He should be able to reach the sink, turn on the water,and reach his toothbrush and toothpaste without help.
• There should be a special place where he can reach for his towel and washcloth.
• Most parents provide bathroom stools, but small wobbly stools often do not provide enough secure, comfortable space for bathroom tasks.
• Build wooden platforms 6-8 inches high that actually fit around toilets and sinks.An Art and Crafts Area• Set up an art area with an easel and a spacious art table for drawing, craft work and clay. Cover the table with a washable tablecloth.
• Children's art supplies can be neatly stored in separate tupperware containers. Depending on your child’s age, the art supplies that you prepare might include washable magic markers, crayons, paste, paper, fabric scraps and recycled household articles for making collages You can keep tempera paint fresh by mixing it in Tupperware containers that are divided into three or more inner compartments.
The Kitchen
• Make room in your kitchen for a child-sized work table for young cooks.
• Set aside the bottom shelf in your refrigerator for your children. Here you can store small drink pitchers, fruit, and the ingredients for making sandwiches and snacks. Use non-breakable Tupperware containers to hold peanut butter, jams, lunch meats, and spreads. A child of two can open the refrigerator and get her own prepared snack or cold drink stored in a little cup. A slightly older child can pour her own juice and make her own lunch.
• Use a bottom drawer to hold forks, knives and spoons.
• Mount a low shelf on a wall for plates, cups, and napkins.
Children can help around the house
If presented correctly, children from age two to six take delight in caring for their environment, dusting, mopping, scrubbing, cleaning and polishing, and they should be able to do so as easily at home as at school. It is perfectly reasonable to ask older children to straighten up their rooms and help with simple household chore.
• Give your child his own little broom or dust buster.
• Hang a feather duster on a hook.
• Provide a hamper for your child’s dirty clothes. Ask him to carry them to the laundry room on a regular basis.
• The bathroom should have a small bucket with a bathtub scrub brush and a sponge.
• Folding towels and napkins is a good activity to teach the young chil
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
by Tim Seldin
Organizing the Home
The Bedroom
“We must give the child an environment that he can utilize by himself: a little washstand of his own, a bureau with drawers he can open, objects of common use that he can operate, a small bed in which he can sleep at night under an attractive blanket he can fold and spread by himself. We must give him an environment in which he can live and play; then we will see him work all day with his hands and wait impatiently to undress himself and lay himself down on his own bed.”
- Maria Montessori
Children’s bedrooms should clearly reflect their personalities and current interests.Even though on their own they may tend to create chaos, young children have a tremendous need and love for an orderly environment. Everything should have its own place and the environment should be organized to make it easy for the child to maintain a neat, well organized atmosphere.
• Ideally, the young child’s bed should be low to the floor, making it easy for toddlers to get in and out on their own. Rather than a crib, Montessori urged parents to modify the bedroom to facilitate both the child's safety and his early independence. Consider a Japanese futon or a mattress without the bed frame.
• By age five, you may wish to allow your child to use a sleeping bag on his bed instead of sheets and blankets. This will make it easy for him to make his own bed in the morning.
• Mount a nice little coat and hat rack low on one wall where your child can reach them easily.
• Decorate the walls with high quality art prints of children or animals hung at the child’s eye level.
• Mount a wall clock at the child’s level. Select one with a large easily read face.
• Modify your light switches with extenders to allow the young child to turn his lights on and off independently.
• Hang a bulletin board on the wall at your child’s eye level on which he can hang art work school papers.
• Don’t use a toy box. Imagine the chaos in your kitchen or workshop if you threw your tools and utensils together in a chest. Instead use low shelves to display books and toys Try to duplicate the look of your child’s classroom.
• Notice how Montessori teachers avoid clutter. Place toys with many pieces in appropriate containers,such as Tupperware “boxes” with lids, basket, or in a sturdy plastic bag.
• Use a sturdy wooden crate to hold your child’s building blocks.
• You may want to create a model town or farm on piece of heavy plywood. Paint it green and sprinklemodel railroad “grass” on it to simulate a meadow. Placed on a low table, your child can create wonderful displays with model buildings made of wood or plastic. Add little trees and people from a model railroad set. You could set up a doll house this way as well.
• Store Lego blocks in a large, colorful and sturdy canvas bag with handles. Sew on strips of velcro to fasten the bag closed. In your child’s bedroom the bag will serve as a sack to contain his Legos. When you travel it is very easy to pick the bag up to come along.
• Make sure that your child’s clothes chest has drawers that are the right height for him or her to open and look inside. Label the drawers: underwear, socks, etc.
• Flower vases: Encourage your child to collect flowers from the fields or garden for his room.
• Provide some shelf space for a small nature museum in your child’s room. Here he can display rocks that he finds, interesting seeds, and (in small cages) interesting ‘critters.’
• Music should be an important part of every child’s life. Set some space aside for a simple stereo system and collection of recordings.
The Bathroom
• The bathroom must be prepared for your child. He should be able to reach the sink, turn on the water,and reach his toothbrush and toothpaste without help.
• There should be a special place where he can reach for his towel and washcloth.
• Most parents provide bathroom stools, but small wobbly stools often do not provide enough secure, comfortable space for bathroom tasks.
• Build wooden platforms 6-8 inches high that actually fit around toilets and sinks.An Art and Crafts Area• Set up an art area with an easel and a spacious art table for drawing, craft work and clay. Cover the table with a washable tablecloth.
• Children's art supplies can be neatly stored in separate tupperware containers. Depending on your child’s age, the art supplies that you prepare might include washable magic markers, crayons, paste, paper, fabric scraps and recycled household articles for making collages You can keep tempera paint fresh by mixing it in Tupperware containers that are divided into three or more inner compartments.
The Kitchen
• Make room in your kitchen for a child-sized work table for young cooks.
• Set aside the bottom shelf in your refrigerator for your children. Here you can store small drink pitchers, fruit, and the ingredients for making sandwiches and snacks. Use non-breakable Tupperware containers to hold peanut butter, jams, lunch meats, and spreads. A child of two can open the refrigerator and get her own prepared snack or cold drink stored in a little cup. A slightly older child can pour her own juice and make her own lunch.
• Use a bottom drawer to hold forks, knives and spoons.
• Mount a low shelf on a wall for plates, cups, and napkins.
Children can help around the house
If presented correctly, children from age two to six take delight in caring for their environment, dusting, mopping, scrubbing, cleaning and polishing, and they should be able to do so as easily at home as at school. It is perfectly reasonable to ask older children to straighten up their rooms and help with simple household chore.
• Give your child his own little broom or dust buster.
• Hang a feather duster on a hook.
• Provide a hamper for your child’s dirty clothes. Ask him to carry them to the laundry room on a regular basis.
• The bathroom should have a small bucket with a bathtub scrub brush and a sponge.
• Folding towels and napkins is a good activity to teach the young chil
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